The Covid inquiry has released its report examining failures in personal protective equipment procurement during the pandemic. The inquiry found that the United Kingdom and devolved governments spent £14.9bn on PPE overall, with nearly £10 billion wasted due to inefficient purchasing practices and poor planning.
Chair Baroness Heather Hallett criticized what she characterized as “vast” waste in pandemic procurement, representing two-thirds of total spending. The report noted that while purchasing excess PPE was preferable to shortages, better calibration between supply and demand would have resulted in fairer and less costly decisions. Hallett stated that with appropriate planning, information systems, and coordination, procurement decisions would have been more efficient and equipment would have reached healthcare workers faster.
The country’s pre-pandemic PPE stockpile was described as being in a “perilous state” with large quantities of expired equipment. In England, only a third of masks in the stockpile were usable, while Scotland had no supplies of FFP3 masks required by healthcare professionals. Staff shortages of protective equipment led some workers to improvise with alternative materials or reuse items, putting healthcare and social care workers at risk.
The report examined the VIP lane system introduced in April 2020, which prioritized PPE supply offers accompanied by recommendations from ministers, MPs, or senior officials. Hallett described this as a “misguided attempt at prioritisation” that “embedded unfairness in emergency procurement,” though she found no evidence of cronyism or corruption. She recommended the system never be repeated in future pandemics.
A chapter examining PPE Medpro, a company awarded more than £200m in government contracts, was not included in the published report due to ongoing criminal investigation. The company has been ordered to repay £148m following a High Court finding that it breached a contract for surgical gowns. The inquiry is expected to publish remaining reports by 2027.
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